Unofficial Auburn Georgia web site - Copyright - Len Cooper

BCN Letter to the Editor by Paul Brown
Auburn City Council to ignore referendum of 1998 and change charter to eliminate citizen mandate to hold referendum's for bonds.    See proposed changes under Section 1.12 Powers and Construction (in Red).
BOC approves Auburn sewer.
*Latest water status under "Water".
*Parks & Leisure Commission meetings - Second Tuesday (May 12, 2009) at 6 p.m. -
**Message to Auburn Mayor and council
   Each sitting honorable council member, honorable council members that have occupied your seats since 1998 and all employees of the City of Auburn enjoy the fruit of a referendum. The referendum of 1998 saved the Auburn City Charter along with the Auburn Police Department and subsequently all of the departments within Auburn government. This referendum also inserted language into our charter to prevent the action our present administration is about to enact for the sake of expediency. Two public hearings will eliminate of the need to hold a referendum to place the citizens' of Auburn into debt via the issuance of municipal bonds.
   The seated Auburn City Council is prepared to strike the portion of the Powers and Construction clause of the citizen mandated charter change relating to Municipal Debt and Municipal Utilities by holding two public hearings (one hearing has been held). What will prevent this or future councils from striking the Powers and Construction portion of our charter in its entirety less State mandated provisions without a referendum?
   I applaud the goal of the newly formed Downtown Development Authority and its volunteer members. I question the mayor's degree of influence upon an impartial authority and city planner since she has volunteered to chair the authority? Will the recommendations of the authority be their or her recommendations? The mayor is a voting member of our city council should there be a tie. Should she be involved in making decisions regarding the issuance of municipal bonds at the authority level and then possibly vote to approve the bonds at the council level?
   March will be the month that council ignores the will of Auburn citizens' by eliminating the need for a referendum to issue bonds. If each of us doesn't protest directly to our council, we lose. Call the mayor or city hall today to register your complaint. Don't bother to email since you cannot expect a reply.
*"The trouble with America is that there are far too many wide-open spaces surrounded by teeth." Charles Luckman

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